Andrew Worden

Targeted transgene integration in plant cells using designed zinc finger nucleases

Targeted transgene integration in plants remains a significant technical challenge for both basic and applied research. Here it is reported that designed zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) can drive site-directed DNA integration into transgenic and native gene loci. A dimer of designed 4-finger ZFNs enabled intra-chromosomal reconstitution of a disabled gfp reporter gene and site-specific transgene integration into chromosomal reporter loci following co-transformation of tobacco cell cultures with a donor construct comprised of sequences necessary to complement a non-functional pat herbicide resistance gene. In addition, a yeast-based assay was used to identify ZFNs capable of cleaving a native endochitinase gene. Agrobacterium delivery of a Ti plasmid harboring both the ZFNs and a donor DNA construct comprising a pat herbicide resistance gene cassette flanked by short stretches of homology to the endochitinase locus yielded up to 10% targeted, homology-directed transgene integration precisely into the ZFN cleavage site. Given that ZFNs can be designed to recognize a wide range of target sequences, these data point toward a novel approach for targeted gene addition, replacement and trait stacking in plants.

A modular gene targeting system for sequential transgene stacking in plants.

A modular, selection-based method was developed for site-specific integration of transgenes into a genomic locus to create multigene stacks. High-frequency gene targeting was obtained using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN)-mediated double-strand break (DSB) formation at a pre-defined target genomic location using a unique intron directly downstream of a promoter driving a selectable marker gene to facilitate homology between target and donor sequences. In this system, only insertion into the target locus leads to a functional selectable marker, and regeneration from random insertions of the promoterless donor construct are reduced on selection media. A new stack of transgenes can potentially be loaded with each successive cycle of gene targeting by exchanging the selectable marker gene using the intron homology. This system was tested in maize using the pat selectable marker gene, whereby up to 30% of the plants regenerated on Bialaphos-containing medium were observed to have the donor construct integrated into the target locus. Unlike previous gene targeting methods that utilize defective or partial genes for selecting targeted events, the present method exchanges fully functional genes with every cycle of targeting, thereby allowing the recycling of selectable marker genes, hypothetically for multiple generations of gene targeting.